Page 6 - Good News September 2012 paper

Continued from p. 1 from home. Anyway, if anyone did water bottle! I cried. I had not Republic of Congo). She went
Continued from p. 1
warm enough, mentioning the hot send me a parcel, who would put asked God to send it; I had not there to set up hospitals and rural
water bottle. The baby could so in a hot water bottle? I lived on the truly believed that He could. Ruth clinics and train national nurses
easily die if it got chills. I also told equator! was in the front row. She rushed to work in them. Her work often
them of the two-year-old sister, Halfway through the afternoon, forward, crying out, “If God has took Helen on long journeys
crying because her mother had while I was teaching in the nurses' sent the bottle, He must have sent through dense forests on roads.
died. training school, a message was the dolly, too!” Helen’s service was interrupted
During the prayer time, one ten- sent that there was a car at my Rummaging down to the bottom by the Simba Rebellion, during
year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with front door. By the time I reached of the box, she pulled out the which she was assaulted and held
the usual blunt conciseness of home, the car had gone, but there, small, beautifully dressed dolly. captive for several months.
our African children. “Please, on the verandah, was a large Her eyes shone! She had never TruthOrFiction.com tracked her
God,” she prayed, “Send us a twenty-two-pound parcel! I felt doubted! Looking up at me, she down and she told them that the
water bottle. It will be no good tears pricking my eyes. I could not asked, “Can I go over with you, ‘water bottle story’ is true and that
tomorrow, God, as the baby will open the parcel alone, so I sent for Mummy, and give this dolly to that she included it in her book “Living
be dead. So please, send it this the orphanage children. Together little girl, so she'll know that Faith.” She has written about the
afternoon!” While I gasped we pulled off the string, carefully Jesus really loves her?” revival that took place in the
inwardly at the audacity of the undoing each knot. We folded the That parcel had been on the way 1950’s in what was then the
prayer, she added by way of paper, taking care not to tear it for five whole months, packed up Belgian Congo. She has been
corollary, “And while You are unduly. Excitement was moun- by my former Sunday School associated with WEC (World
about it, would You please send a ting. Some thirty or forty pairs of class, whose leader had heard Evangelization for Christ.
dolly for the little girl so she'll eyes were focused on the large and obeyed God's prompting to
know You really love her?” cardboard box. send a hot water bottle, even to
As often with children's prayers, I From the top, I lifted out brightly the equator! And one of the girls
was put on the spot. Could I coloured, knitted jerseys. Eyes had put in a dolly for an African
honestly say, “Amen”? I just did sparkled as I handed them out. child in answer to the believing
not believe that God could do this. Then there were the knitted prayer of a ten-year-old.
Oh, yes, I know that He can do bandages for the leprosy “Before they call, I will answer!”
everything. The Bible says so. But patients, and the children looked (Isaiah 65:24).
there are limits, aren't there? The a little bored. Then came a box of This story originates from Dr.
only way God could answer this mixed raisins and sultanas - that Helen Roseveare, a missionary
particular prayer would be by would make a nice batch of buns from England. Helen qualified as a
sending me a parcel from the for the weekend. Then, as I put my medical doctor, packed up her life
homeland. I had been in Africa for hand in again, I felt the... Could it in England and set off to be a
almost four years at that time, and really be? I grasped it and pulled it missionary in the Belgian Colony
I had never, ever received a parcel out - yes! A brand new, rubber hot of the Congo (now the Democratic Dr. Helen Roseveare